X-Files Rewatch: Season 2

So, I started rewatching The X-Files from the beginning — or, really, “watching it,” because during the series’ run, I came in late and only watched casually. It holds up pretty well almost 20 years later, despite those horrendously budge credits, but you get some hilarious guest stars along the way, so I decided to tweet alternate titles for some of the episodes.

Follow along and/or guess the episodes by following the Twitter hashtag #XFilesRewatch.

Mulder’s narration at the end of “Irresistible” is maybe the oddest thing about the second season. It’s a big fat “‘Normal’? Henh?” There’s no world in which Donnie Pfaster passes for normal. Nick Chinlund, bless his heart, practically slavers in the role.

The Donnie ep took place on my birthday in Minneapolis, and was one of my favorites in the entire run of the series. No aliens or liver eaters, just a scary guy in (one of the many) Scully in jeopardy episodes.

Out of all of the episodes in the uneven 9-season run, Pfaster was the one Icky Thump that really and truly did give me the wig. Flukeman was gross, but I wasn’t truly scared; ditto for any of the other ooky things. But Pfaster was something that could happen, and has, and does.

Oddly enough, I’m the person who’s usually unmoved by serial-killer stories; I usually get worked up over zombies and ghosts and werewolves, none of which are generally going to leave you room-temp in a ditch for real. But Chinlund owned that guy, in the “I live here and you’re on my LAWN” sort of way.